Two exhibits, Two worlds

Admission stickers

There are two vastly different exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts right now. I would recommend going now, before the holidays when everyone has out of town relatives they need to entertain.

The first exhibit is Degas: A New Vision

This is the only American stop on the tour of this exhibit, so see it if you can. It is a true survey of his career, starting with student sketches and ending with photographs he took towards the end of his life.  You can see how his work changed over time, from when he was a student of Ingres, to when he started experimenting with the looser brushwork of the impressionists. There are paintings, sketches, prints, and bronzes (including the famed "Little Dancer").  There are even some works from his time in New Orleans. I had no idea he'd ever left Europe, let alone spent time in a cotton office in Louisiana.  Limited photography is allowed.

The second exhibit is Emperor's Treasures: Works from the National Palace Museum, Taipei

This exhibit covers works from the early 12th century to the early 20th century. There are porcelains, cloisonné, ink wash paintings and scrolls, Buddhist Sutras done with exquisite penmanship in gold ink on indigo-dyed paper, carved jade and one monstrously ugly, solid gold ewer. (It's in the last room, if you must see it.) My favorite item is a porcelain teacup decorated with chickens.

I've actually been to the museum in Taipei, but I was 12 years old and severely jet-lagged. I remember bejeweled fingernail protectors and some carved jade, but my main memory of the stopover was dropping the hotel keychain on my foot. (It was about 8 inches long and solid brass. It hurt.)

Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed of this exhibit. But if you are thinking ahead to Christmas,  they have a nice gift shop, with the cutest salt and pepper shakers.  I, myself, opted for a keychain with a glow-in-the-dark bok choy (A reproduction of one of the museum's most famous exhibits; sadly, not part of the Houston show.). What is life without a touch of whimsy?



The monkeys are salt and pepper, the bird is for soy sauce

End of Spring Update





It's been a pretty quiet and boring few months. Partly because torrential rain kept me indoors more than usual, and partly because my house noticed all the attention I had been lavishing on the garden, and threw a fit. My garage door opener and in-sink garbage disposal broke, beyond repair. So I spent a couple of weekends handing my father tools and getting to know the local hardware stores much better than I ever wanted to. It's been expensive.

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But at least my house hasn't flooded. I've been sent home from work early because they were worried rising waters would trap us on site, but that's been about it.  On the bright side, it does mean that all the sod and plants I put in earlier this year are doing really well.

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I did manage to get out of the house a few times:

I saw Duran Duran in concert, and it was fabulous. I'm not a big concert goer, but this was a really good show. Chic was the opening act, and they could have been the whole concert. I actually felt sorry for Duran Duran, I wouldn't have wanted to follow them.  But they came out and did their thing and it was like back-to-back concerts. Not really related, but both shows were so good, who cared?

I saw "Sculpted in Steel" at the Museum of Fine Arts. The show was about Art Deco as applied to cars and motorcycles. I've never been a big car buff, but these were the most magnificent automobiles I've ever seen. The level of detail and the quality of the materials, was inspiring. I felt like I should go home and change because I was not dressed for the occasion. And if you wanted to feel like a real schlub, you could cross the street and see "Deco Nights: Evenings in the Jazz Age" where they had designer clothing of the era, including a bronze Fortuny gown that has to be one of the most subtly sexy garments I've ever seen.

Finally, I went to the Japan Festival in Hermann Park. As usual, there was terrific people-watching. I listened to J-pop and taiko drums, was wowed by the bonsai exhibit and I got to try takoyaki. I liked it, but not everyone is into octopus.

Of course I took pictures.

Portable shrine - it's mostly plastic and looks like the most expensive Lego kit in the world.

Tiny lanterns!

Bridge in the Japanese garden - I never time it right to get there when the irises are in bloom.

Shoes outside the tea tent. Only the orange flip flops are positioned correctly- together and facing out.

Doggy bag

 

Wabi-sabi

I found Waldo!

Turtle soup - though pizza would have been more thematically consistent

Can you have a Japanese festival without totoro?

I'll be more active this Summer. I promise.

Museum Review: Houghton Hall

Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House is the third English exhibit I've seen in the past three years.

I'm getting the feeling that there's network of people in England, all owners or caretakers of stately homes, telling each other: "If you need a money to fix this place, go ahead and get the workmen in and instead of putting your art and furniture in storage, send it to the States as an 'exhibition'. The Yanks will pay for everything."

Not that that's a bad thing. I'm unlikely to visit Norfolk anytime soon, so I might as well appreciate what they're willing to send while they are re-pointing the roof. Houghton Hall was built in the 1720's for Sir Robert Walpole, the first prime minister of England, and the house remains in the family.

Because they couldn't box up the building and ship it over, the Houghton Hall exhibit is mostly interesting from the point of view of the interior decorator. There are paintings, chinoiserie, and Sèvres porcelain, but the best part is really the enormous photos, set up with the furniture, to give you the feeling of standing in actual rooms.

Houghton was the first home in England to ever have a purpose built dining room. Before then, tables would be set up in the main hall, or a parlor, depending on how many you were feeding. To have a room set aside just for eating, how luxurious can you get? 

My personal favorite was the bedroom with the hand painted Chinese wallpaper. Of course they couldn't send the room, but they had some extra rolls of wallpaper, so they've hung those around the exhibition space. They also included a bed with the most beautiful embroidered silk hangings.  

I'm not a big fan of wallpaper, but this could change my mind. Do you think this would be too much in my little suburban house?

Art Weekend

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston  just ended its show "Picasso: Black and White". I went to see it last weekend while it was still here. Some of it was incredible, hauntingly beautiful, and some of it made me wonder if he was arguing with the sitter. There's one bronze in particular that looked like one of those squeeze toys where the eyes pop out. What do you think?

 

Anyway, after spending so much time looking at works by one of the acclaimed genius' of the 20th century, I felt inspired to look for more art on the streets of Houston.  They may not be Picasso, but they are free.

 

Watching over the parking lot, guarding the cars

 

A reminder that there is more to life than traffic, visible from 59 South

Making the Wendy's parking lot a brighter place

 

"Yes, you can walk on the art."

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston